First blog post of 2024

 It is over six months since my last blog post. In my last post in 2023 I said that I had decided to not show my work in any venues and only do commission work.  For that reason, I have not had many paintings to post.  My commissions have been from friends and family.  Here are those paintings.

The first were for my cousin and his wife who moved to Myrtle Beach and wanted something with a beachy theme.

 

The next painting was for a neighbor who also loves everything beachy.  She wanted a simple ocean/beach scene.

The last painting is for my oldest granddaughter who wanted a wooden plaque with a still life.

In the last six months Roger created two stained glass windows.  Both were for neighbors.

Every time Roger makes a stained glass window, he thinks it will probably be the last one he will make but then, someone asks him if he will do one for them.  A neighbor wants two and our son Mark wants a hanging panel.  He is holding off starting them because we are in a heatwave, and it is too hot in his garage workshop for him to work there.  

As I look back and reflect on my art career, I feel blessed.  It was a God thing.  I started teaching tole painting in 1976 at the request of a friend of a friend.  I started a home class and within a few months I was asked to teach a class at the YWCA then adult ed classed at the local high school and vocational school. I taught classes at all of these places and also various craft stores for 15 years.  When we moved to AZ I retired from teaching but continued to sell craft items at art fairs.  In 2007 I decided to enter a canvas painting contest and won 3 prizes.  At that point I switched to canvas painting and have sold hundreds of paintings and won 15 awards.  I still love to paint but I no longer enjoy having to market my art.  This is why I will only do commission painting.  I guess I am retired from actively selling my art.

I still create art by spending time everyday doing doodles.  I have books full of doodles.  I love doing them, but I do them for myself and not for sale. I also help Roger with design and color choice on the stained-glass windows he makes.

Will I do more blogposts in the future?  That remains to be seen.  I guess it depends on if I get more commission.